vorpal's 2020 wad picks from the community

[Vorpal]

Just my own little compilation of interesting works of 2020. It's not exhaustive, and I haven't even played most of it, and I don't have any objective criteria or quality bar for what I consider interesting, and yes if [your wad] isn't in here then I probably found it uninteresting (speedmaps, my first wads, community projects with gimmick themes), or simply didn't see it yet, so don't take it as offense as I am not an authority and this list isn't definitive. 

 

I started doing this because I noticed a huge uptick in community productivity in the last few years (new interest from bethesda-doom I guess), too much for me to even hope to keep up with playing, so I wanted a list to fall back on for when I'm in the old folks home. Also I have kinda grown to resent the Cacowards in a weird sort of way, as it has this side effect of nobody giving a shit about other wads from a given year - yes I'm aware we have periodic "underrated wad" threads but they're scattered and buried and disorganized with time, and yes this is just another forum thread that will suffer the same fate, although some day I intend to preserve the list in an old timey webpage.

 

Caveat: a lot of these could be works in progress, and a handful might not even be released, and some download links may be broken because people use weird file hosts, and I will edit in interesting wads as they come in / as I notice them.

 

2020 has been the busiest year for (interesting) pwads in all of the modding community's history, my evidence follows:

antaresian reliquary by @antares031

a cute little map by @yakfak

project-19 by @Kuroji Shi2do

glaive 2  by @EANB

Doom II: 25 Years on Earth by @Phobus

DyingCamel's Demons #3 by @Bdubzzz + various

Gods&Guardians by @Wraith777

Moonfire by @Spectre01

GOingAGain by @vincent0s

Heller City Rampage by @cambreaKer

1995 called. They want their Doom levels back by @Zylinderkatze

Intergalactic Xenology by @Dreadopp

taras nabad by @Slimebucket (nuked thread why?)

Spawn Redux by @Dave_Billing
Spawn 2: Descent of Canopus by @Dave_Billing

Oops! All Techbase by @ZeMystic + various

Skinship by @Lorenz0

IMP WORLD by @Clippy

The killer of hell by @xdarkmasterx
The Eldrich Domain of Death by @xdarkmasterx
Demons of Darkness by @xdarkmasterx
Creepy ass demon tower by @xdarkmasterx
Damp Shithole by @xdarkmasterx

Steel Sepulchre by @xdarkmasterx

[Heretic] Quest for the Crystal Skulls by @Captain Toenail

Devil's Grip by @universal-quantifier

Mutabor by @tourniquet

The Slayer Project by @sanicstudios

Impending Doom by @Agentbromsnor

Coiling by @Serekay

Flesh Interface 1: The Laboratory by @Angry Saint

Running Late 2 by @A2Rob

PATHOGEN by @Crunchynut44

Hell On Earth Shareware by @Gifty (I think this made my list from last year, fucking guy better finish it lol!)

Arcade Station by @Soulless
Camping Aborted by @Soulless
Bitter Awakening by @Soulless

Storming at Midnight by @Soulless

Festering Cesspool by @Soulless

Cygnus by @E.M.

Terminal by @Marn

Sigma-X by @Guardsoul

[Heretic?] Ascension by @BigMemka + @Shadowman

Globglogabgalabs treasure trove by @4MaTC

Realm by @4MaTC

Technicolor Antichrist Box by @Major Arlene

Everglade by @Chief Smokey

Being Trapped Is Hell by @TravyB

Serenity Now by @TravyB

DBP23: Evil Egypt by various

UAC-M4 by @GoatLord

Infernovasion by @The_SloVinator

TNT Goes Boom! by @The_SloVinator

Labyrinth of the Aku by @Aku old thread

Dissolution: Remastered by @Gunrock
Mines: Remastered by @Gunrock

[Hexen] Penumbra by @Matthias

Return to Hadron Episode 3 by @cannonball

Re-Doom2 by @Shawny

[Hexen] Tempered Arms by @Lippeth

Scourge of Leviathan by @Pełzająca Część Twarzy

Geothermal Plant by @finnks13

Night Shift by @moonchaser26

Advent by @el_inf

Lagomorphs of Gor by @Woolie Wool

Phaser_Foundry by @HQDefault

LargE Single Map by @Kore

Outer Base by @Kuleshoff

Classic Deathmatch Redux by @KevvyLava

LIGHTPATH by @MaishyN

Scoot's Dm by @MikeyScoots + @Zillah + @40oz

Mansion in The Mountains by @mrthejoshmon

Annie: Episode 2 by @Serge Jkn

Hell Frontier by @ViolentBeetle

unholyjo by @Elio AF

Cold Shoulder by @elio.exe

Toxic Leek by @elio.exe

Malleable Intent by @LVENdead

Bastion of Chaos by @Bridgeburner56

Grungy Grotto by @Egg Boy

Cold Front by @Egg Boy

KUIPER by @Argent Agent

DOOM 87: The Lost World by @DCG Retrowave

Geant Doom 2 by @Arrown + @Dobermann

Abysm 2: Infernal Contract by @jazzmaster9

Ramm by @Alaux

Criticality by @Scotty

Eleven Zero by @Dranyan

Sustenance Ep1 by @SCF

[Doom64] Anguish by @jdagenet

[Doom64] Wretched by @jdagenet

Bromine by @jdagenet

Grindhouse by @TheOrganGrinder

Trench Foot by Mr-Moon

Bourgeois Deathmatch by @Doomkid + @Decay + @Razgriz

Rowdy Rudy II: POWERTRIP by @Doomkid + various

Doomkid's Mega! by @Doomkid

Ray Mohawk's Manic Monday by @Doomkid [technically was in last year's picks but it was very WIP then, and "finished" now in 2020]

Demonfear Midi Pack by @P41R47 + various [also technically 2019 but I only just noticed it plus it had updates in 2020]

Raven Midi Pack by @Jimmy + various

Raven Midi Pack II by @Jimmy + various

[Heretic] Faithless: Trilogy by @Jimmy

Escalation Titan by @GrahfMetal + @Jimmy

Compaund X by @THE IMP

DBP28: Fear and Loathing by @Jaxxoon R + various

DBP29: Morbid Autumn by @40oz + various

Archi-Tek by @romsu89

Running of the Bulls by @Impboy4

[Hexen] Realms of Cronos by @whirledtsar 

Blackened Deathmatch by @LacedCase

Misanthropolis by @SCF

The Demon Blade by @DragonsForLunch

UAC Holocaust by @rapappa the pepper

Barbie Girl by @Capellan

Taco Salad by @Matias

[Doom64] Untitled by @UnholyShadows (when you've got a title please let me know!)

Ascent of Titan by @DavidN

Bond of Hatred by @Chris Hansen

Nostalgia Ain't What It Used To Be by @JadingTsunami

Lost Civilization 2, part 1 by @Jaska

In Search by @Misty

[Heretic] Tenebrum by @jaeden

ERR.wad by @MrTAD

[Heretic] Necroplasm by @SOSU

Torrential by @Salmon

Bombardment by @Salmon

[Hexen] Afterlands by @Seidolon

Unhallowed by @CyanoBlugron

Evil Overruled by @Toilet_Wine_Connoisseur

{DIVBXXXC-HXII} by @xh12bbbb

Filtration Plant by @King S P O O N

Snap the Sentinel by @TehRealSalt + various

UACPS STORAGE BASE by @Boomslang

[Unreal, yes Unreal] Unreal Gold Remake by @skaarjman

Enceladus by @nicolas monti

Fairchild Island by @Lawrence

WMD by @Cheesewheel

Aspect of Daedalus by @LVENdead

He Came From Beyond by @Szuran

Bloodbath by @Dunn & Dunn

Assembly Line by @Regular Warren

[Doom64] The UnMaking by @Ryath

Edited January 3, 2021 by Vorpal
moar

[cambreaKer]

nice list! thanks for putting my wad there :D

[Clippy]

Thanks for the shout out to me and many others

 

This is why this is a great community 🤠

[baja blast rd.]

44 minutes ago, Vorpal said:

I started doing this because I noticed a huge uptick in community productivity in the last few years (new interest from bethesda-doom I guess), too much for me to even hope to keep up with playing, so I wanted a list to fall back on for when I'm in the old folks home. Also I have kinda grown to resent the Cacowards in a weird sort of way, as it has this side effect of nobody giving a shit about other wads from a given year - yes I'm aware we have periodic "underrated wad" threads but they're scattered and buried and disorganized with time, and yes this is just another forum thread that will suffer the same fate, although some day I intend to preserve the list in an old timey webpage.

 

I think a big inclusive list of a year's notable releases would be as useful as the Cacowards -- or honestly, more -- so I am glad you are compiling and sharing this. 

[Soulless]

Nice to see any of my maps in this list, and thanks for the compilation itself, I will surely come back to try some of these community creations.

 

[jdagenet]

Appreciate the shout out, sir!

[Gifty]

Hell on Earth Shareware will come out this year, I promise :P

[The_SloVinator]

Oh. I very much appreciate it being on the list! :>

 

Although, I'd like to correct you with the right link.

 

Edited September 22, 2020 by The_SloVinator

[Zillah]

Nice list, you make a good point that plenty of high-quality wads go unnoticed and underrated after a few years at a time. I remember going to idgames and clicking the 'random' button late at night, discovering gold, silver, or abhorrent trash. Yet, plenty of the gold I found was never mentioned, if not, only slightly so, and most caco-awards pay no mind to it sometimes; but after all there is so much it's hard to keep up. Not to mention the wads people play the most aren't always the best, but the most talked about or flashy/colorful. Either way, I appreciate your efforts here, and I'll be checking out a great many wads on this list when I have the time.

[Vorpal]

13 minutes ago, The_SloVinator said:

 

Although, I'd like to correct you with the right link.

 

 

Thanks, I bet there's some other links of mine that are "WIP playtesting" threads and not the "Real release thread", and invite any corrections folks my have!

[KevvyLava]

Thanks for the mention!  I actually am about to finish the full 30-level WAD of all classic deathmatch.  A few more levels just need some tweakin'.

 

I'm working on a final / updated version of Classic Deathmatch Redux now.  Would love to hear anyone's feedback on how it is so far, particularly if anyone's used it for Deathmatch.  If anyone's interested, I was gonna host a server, too.

[Endless]

Great job! An excellent list that helps both the authors to get a little more exposure and the players to find new WADs to enjoy.

 

This year has undoubtedly been one of the most productive for the community. In my work collecting the WADs published in the Doomworld section, I have found that on average 40-30 WADs are published every 15 days. And that's only on Doomworld!

 

By the way, we're always looking for WAD scouts and reviewers for the Wadazine ;)

Edited September 22, 2020 by Endless

[Shawny]

Thank you very much for shoutout.

The project will get updated asap, though I have some more stuff in the works.

[Spectre01]

Cool list and thanks for the shoutout! I've been on a break from Doom for a bit but it's nice to see a lot of new names making notable wads.

[TravyB]

Big thanks for the shoutout, I appreciate that. 

 

Being Trapped is Hell is easily my best map so far, I think, so glad you enjoyed it :)

[Matthias]

Oh, thanks for mentioning Penumbra

[ViolentBeetle]

Thanks for acknowledging my existence.

[Alaux]

Same as what everyone says. Thanks for mentioning my project!

[Angry Saint]

Thank you for mentioning my Flesh Interface!

[Aku]

Thanks for the mention, i was working much more on it before unfortently losing my computer, however i did save an emergency backup a few weeks prior that had 5 extra wip levels, with added textures /enemies connected to the wad, i was contemplating puting the last wip wap up as a sort of community project to see if anyone could help finish levels 16-20, as i am goin to be without a computer for awhile, but heres the link if anyone is interested in helping finish these levels, i lost a couple of weeks work so it was not the ideal backup save but its better then nothing.

 

http://www.mediafire.com/file/v87kgwkuv05zju5/file

 

 

[Major Arlene]

thanks for putting Technicolor on your list! Dancing in the Abyss is still VERY WIP so you could probably take that off lol

[KevvyLava]

17 hours ago, Aku said:

Thanks for the mention, i was working much more on it before unfortently losing my computer, however i did save an emergency backup a few weeks prior that had 5 extra wip levels, with added textures /enemies connected to the wad, i was contemplating puting the last wip wap up as a sort of community project to see if anyone could help finish levels 16-20, as i am goin to be without a computer for awhile, but heres the link if anyone is interested in helping finish these levels, i lost a couple of weeks work so it was not the ideal backup save but its better then nothing.

 

http://www.mediafire.com/file/v87kgwkuv05zju5/file

 

 

 

I'm playing through your wad currently and I think it's really solid.  The extra weapons are cool.  The flamethrower has to be the new favorite.  Only gripe with some of the levels is it's not super obvious to figure out what the switches do sometimes, or how many you're looking for.  Overall, the design is moody and excellent.

[KevvyLava]

On 9/24/2020 at 10:21 PM, Aku said:

Thanks for the mention, i was working much more on it before unfortently losing my computer, however i did save an emergency backup a few weeks prior that had 5 extra wip levels, with added textures /enemies connected to the wad, i was contemplating puting the last wip wap up as a sort of community project to see if anyone could help finish levels 16-20, as i am goin to be without a computer for awhile, but heres the link if anyone is interested in helping finish these levels, i lost a couple of weeks work so it was not the ideal backup save but its better then nothing.

 

http://www.mediafire.com/file/v87kgwkuv05zju5/file

 

 

 

Just as a follow-up, there were some magnificent levels in this baby. And there were others that I couldn't be bothered with.  The more teleporting back and forth, the less interest on my part.  BUT.....Some of the early maps were fun, I thought MAP12 was a perfect little level, and MAP17 (the one with all the custom Doom/Duke3D enemies).  MAP16 was spooky and had a great feel.

 

I love that none of these maps felt too long, aside from too much teleporting and maybe too many long corridors that look similar.  There's some great work on here.  I think you have a TON of potential with those modded enemies.  It'd be cool to see a Doom-style remake of Duke3D but with a mix of enemies and done with Doom texture styles.  Cool stuff either man.

[Dave_Billing]

Thanks for the shout-out!

[Aku]

On 9/27/2020 at 10:52 PM, KevvyLava said:

 

Just as a follow-up, there were some magnificent levels in this baby. And there were others that I couldn't be bothered with.  The more teleporting back and forth, the less interest on my part.  BUT.....Some of the early maps were fun, I thought MAP12 was a perfect little level, and MAP17 (the one with all the custom Doom/Duke3D enemies).  MAP16 was spooky and had a great feel.

 

I love that none of these maps felt too long, aside from too much teleporting and maybe too many long corridors that look similar.  There's some great work on here.  I think you have a TON of potential with those modded enemies.  It'd be cool to see a Doom-style remake of Duke3D but with a mix of enemies and done with Doom texture styles.  Cool stuff either man.

Thanks for the feedback🙂

I appreciate it.

[⇛Marnetmar⇛]

:D

[BigMemka]

Thanks for the mention of the Ascension. iwad in it doom2. And now there is a revision of the balance and bugs. A new map will also be added.

[Journalist_Kuro]

It was unexpected that my WAD would be added to this list.....
Thank you for mentioning Project-19! 

[P41R47]

Thanks for checking out the Demonfear MidiPack, Brad.
Yes, i made it last year, but is thanks to the DWMC that its on the front page now hahaha :D

I'm still tweaking it for better compatibility with almost all source ports.

Your wad pick is awesome, and surelly it will serve as a datbade to search the content of this year in the future.
Have you checked Three is a Crowd and CPD? They are both really low profile megawads made this year.
 

[sanicstudios]

Thanks for the mention!